Page 43 of Tactically Acquired

I thought about it for a moment, trying to figure out why they would come after me. But it wasn’t just me. That’s right. “It wasn’t just me,” I repeated. “They took Spencer, too. That has to mean something, right?”

“It could,” Alec nodded. “Bigger ransom.”

“Or maybe a project you were working on together?” Craig suggested. “Anything you might have done together that pissed someone off?”

“Not that I know of.”

“You said you were on your way to some live-action film. Who else knew about that?” Craig asked.

“It could have been anyone. I mean, the director set it up, but the cameraman was going too.”

“But he wasn’t taken. The first time,” Alec clarified.

I shook my head. “No, it was just Spencer and me.”

“That’s really bold,” Alec said to Craig. “Taking two celebrities at once…they had to have had a plan in mind. Someplace they were going to take them where they could stash them for a while where they thought they wouldn’t get caught.”

“Who were the second kidnappers?” Craig asked.

I laughed at that. “Well, I thought they were the good guys.”

“Why do you say that?”

“They were?—”

Glass shattered and metal screeched in the most horrifying sound as the world suddenly shifted around us. The SUV rolled side over its side, across traffic, slamming into other vehicles and hitting the barrier dividing the highway. My head slammed into the door before my body fell against it.

I could faintly hear the hissing of the engine as darkness crept into my line of vision, but nothing else seemed to register as something dripped into my eye and then I passed out.

12

CRAIG

I jerked awake, only to be halted by my seatbelt holding me in place. I winced as metal cut into my leg and my arm throbbed, but I was alive, and that was all that fucking mattered right now.

“Alec,” I croaked out, trying to get his attention. I could barely crane my neck at the moment. When he didn’t answer, I twisted as best as I could. Hell, he was knocked out with blood dripping down his face.

I had to get out of here and make sure Audrey was okay and then clear the scene. I couldn’t be sure that it was just an accident. She’d already been kidnapped three times. The chance that this was a coincidence was highly unlikely. But the thing that pissed me off was that I didn’t see a fucking thing. That vehicle came out of nowhere. I didn’t even see any headlights. I wasn’t even sure how we were hit from the side.

I pressed the button to release my seatbelt and fell sideways into Alec. I cried out as something was torn from my leg. I sucked in a breath through my nose and after a moment, I looked down at the torn pant leg and took in the damage. My leg was shredded, but I’d seen worse.

Alec hadn’t moved, even when I fell into him. I pressed my fingers to his throat and sighed in relief when I felt his pulsesteady under my fingers. Black spots danced in my vision as dizziness washed over me, but I pushed through it and turned to the back seat.

“Audrey,” I called out, hoping she wasn’t dead and I hadn’t failed her. Even through the spots in my vision, I could tell she wasn’t anywhere in the back seat. My heart started racing out of control at the implications. This was really fucking bad. Being ejected from the vehicle was most likely a death sentence.

I reached up to the door and tried to push it open, but it was smashed in. It would need the jaws of life to pry that thing open. The windshield was my best option right now, and since it was already shattered, it wouldn’t be too difficult to kick out. I climbed back through the wreckage and started kicking, steadying myself as best as possible as waves of nausea washed over me. Fuck, I needed backup now.

Climbing out, I staggered away from the man trying to reach for me. He might be trying to help, but I had no fucking clue who he was. I pulled my gun instantly, holding it on him as I swayed on my feet, blinking back the dizziness.

“Back up,” I snapped.

He held up his hands, his eyes wide with fear. “Yeah, sure. I was just checking on you.“Are you okay, man?” His eyes narrowed on me. “You don’t look so good.”

“There was a woman,” I mumbled, barely coherent. “A…woman.”

The man nodded. “Yeah?—”

“Where is she!” I snapped, glancing to the side. More spectators moved toward me, but I had to find Audrey. I swung my gun in their direction. “Everyone back up! Stay the fuck away!”

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